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jihnari · 1 year

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zhongchi - the ship that’s ruining my life

disclaimers:

ship what u want. i cannot stop you. i do not care. be free.

this post is an OPINION and you DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE. if reading about why i dislike zhongchi is going to upset you, maybe give this a pass

i do not dislike childe OR zhongli. i just think their ship is silly.

if you are a zhongchi shipper and you choose to read this anyway, this is not written as a personal attack. i said "zhongchi 😒" one too many times and a non-genshin friend said "why do you hate that ship so much" and then i wrote a manifesto

ive never been involved in real fandom drama and idk how it goes but i would like to remain ignorant and free, pls do not attack me over this i am small and nervous and do not mean any harm

part 0: the ship

"who are they and why does this ship exist?" you might ask, if you've never played genshin. on the surface, this is a simple question with a simple answer. the two characters for this ship are in the same place at the same time and their stories overlap heavily. childe is the big bad of zhongli's story arc. (not that zhongli fights him; you, the player character, fights childe.) so they potentially have enemies to lovers, and they are actually friends before some truths come to light and it's revealed they're on "different sides". childe also pays for things for both you (the player character) and zhongli, which people read as caring. [1]

childe/zhongli is the most popular genshin ship on ao3. there are currently 132,000 works on ao3 for genshin impact and 12,735 of those have the ship tag childe/zhongli. that's only 10% of the all existing works, but the second largest ship tag has only 6,600 works, which is half as many.

relevant as an influencing factor is another popular ship early on in genshin's inception. that other ship was the first two hot male characters to have tension and an overlapping storyline, but they turn out to be "related" and a large part of the fandom collectively dropped them like a hot potato. but these fans were already in the fandom, already playing genshin, and they needed someone to ship. so they collectively jumped over to the SECOND set of two hot male characters with perceived tension and an overlapping storyline, i.e. zhongli and childe. the story containing zhongli and childe is 1) permanent canon content and 2) presented relatively early to the player, so zhongchi as a ship is more accessible than other popular ships that don't show up for 50+ hours [2] of gameplay.

furthermore, neither childe or zhongli have many meaningful interactions with other characters, and both characters were very popular upon launch. their initial popularity caused an epidemic, and a subsequent over-saturation of the ship on ao3. [3]

part 1: the characters

zhongli is a retired ex-god who faked his own death so he could have a break and go play at being human in the most mundane way possible. he's spiritually and emotionally an old man. he watches operas and drinks tea, has very expensive taste but no money, and works the front desk at a funeral parlor. he's thousands of years old and not entirely human (more on that later). [4]

childe is in his 20s and an affable general in the evil army. at 14 childe fell through a hole into genshin hell and lived there for a few months and emerged Changed. he can also turn into a demon now, just as a fun side note. upon getting him back, his parents found him to be a very scary menace and they quickly enrolled him in the military. he is the youngest ever person to be made general in the evil army, but this is less due to him being driven by ambition and more being a violent gremlin who couldn't be controlled and who beat up everyone in his path.

in his spare time, childe gets into unwinnable fights and pushes himself to the limit just so he can feel something. he's utilitarian, having grown up poor, and when you ask about his least favorite food he tells you that being picky about food is a bad thing and you should cut that out. he "has money" but it's not his money, it's his government's money. the budget for his evil task is very, very high, and he uses it for mission things though he tends to be pretty loose about what that includes. his mission budget shouldn't matter, but will unfortunately come up later.

childe is diametrically opposed to zhongli and zhongli's city; or he WOULD be but childe is too friendly and zhongli secretly has a deal with childe's boss, paying them to do the evil thing so he can retire in peace. this is a slight betrayal to childe but when it comes to light he isnt upset at zhongli, he's upset at his coworker for being the literal worst. childe is still seen around fantasy china after he tries to destroy it with a meteor[5], and only the townspeople seem to have any hard feelings. zhongli and childe are not canonically depicted as having any hard feelings.

part 2: "making it work"

past the superficial reasons listed in part 0, zhongchi makes no sense to me as a pairing. zhongli is a boring old man and childe barely seems to consider people anything more than NPCs unless they end up having fighting prowess, in which case he tries to fight them and then (if they don't die) considers them friends.

childe is dynamic, always striving to be better, stronger, faster[6]; childe is an adrenaline addict. zhongli is static and intends to stay that way.

the characters have undergone some personality changes to make them fit together better.

zhongli is part dragon(?) so people give him an obsession for pretty things and a massive possessive streak. since he's "broke", childe becomes a sugar daddy type in many works. zhongli is also almost exclusively on top in sexual situations, because duh, old, powerful dragon. [7]

childe couldn't possibly be in a position of power when he's with a older, more powerful male, so he becomes very submissive and swoon-y and teenage girl. the betrayal hurt him *ever* so deeply and he may never emotionally recover. he canonically has a family whom he loves, so people come down on that hard and say he's a real family man and he wants to have a family of his own and obviously he wants to settle down with zhongli and have zhongli's babies.

part 3: losing sight of canon

the further this ship goes, the further we stray from god. [8]

childe is now super rich and loves paying for other people's things, especially zhongli's (forgetting that the money he has was in fact part of his mission budget). the tag "battlesexual childe" is a sortable tag on ao3, but the zhongchi part of genshin has all but forgotten childe likes to fight. zhongli is now possessive to a borderline abusive degree, and childe likes being tied down (metaphorically) to his dragon husband (did i mention they're frequently and casually married? this is the erasermic[9] of genshin).

another side effect of being auto-married by the fandom is that it pushes the domesticity angle of zhongchi. you know, zhongli, an ex GOD OF WAR who COMMITTED GENOCIDE and a childe, a dude so obsessed with fighting that his own family couldnt handle him and shipped him off to the military at 14. them. domestic. what drugs are you on [10]

part 4: dragons

hey. why did so many people have to latch onto the dragon thing? on a personal note, i do not understand the appeal but have no room to judge. on a cultural note, zhongchi is DOING IT WRONG.

in canon, zhongli's "dragon form" is based off of chinese dragons[11]. which makes sense, since the place he's from, liyue, is modeled after china. genshin impact is created by mihoyo, a chinese company.

what im saying is a chinese company writing a chinese game with a character from fantasy china would NOT make this character a western dragon.

western dragons breathe fire, are very aggressive, collect hoards of gold, and are often depicted as greedy and possessive. eastern dragons not only look different, they're associated with water (rain) rather than fire, they're cultural symbols of prosperity and good luck, and they FOSTER HARMONY. i have exclusively seen zhongli's "dragon personality traits" modeled after western dragons, not eastern ones. like. yeah. i get it. the dragons the english half of the fandom is familiar with are western dragons. maybe they don't even know how eastern, and specifically chinese dragons, are different. but that doesnt make them any less INCORRECT.

and hey! seeing dragon eggpreg content makes me want to die[12]. there’s so much. i wish there was less much. this also further encourages the feminization of childe which is :\ must we keep returning the gender norms to fictional romantic relationships

part 5: the ripple effect

the zhongchi version of childe has escaped containment[13]. im unhappy about it. i always know it when i see it because childe is an insatiable uwu bottom who would rather have sex than have a street fight.

because this ship is so hellaciously popular, other childe ships are relatively rare[14]. anywhere you go, if someone is a fan of zhongli or childe, they probably also ship it. i never want to see another piece of zhongchi fanart again and yet, i soldier on. this is my curse. this is my burden. for childe, i must persevere.

in conclusion,

i dont have a conclusion actually i just hate zhongchi, thanks for coming to my ted talk

[1] those people are incorrect.

[2] i didnt look up this number even a little bit, but i feel in my heart that it is accurate.

[3] "only 10%? and you're calling it an epidemic?" yes. yes i am. "don't you think thats a little harsh?" you haven't seen what ive seen. you haven't suffered what ive suffered.

[4] sorry i know the childe section is like four times as long but i just don’t about zhongli like i do childe.

[5] yes i know it wasnt a meteor but this was written to be read fandom blind and ff7 altered my brain chemistry.

[6] Daft Punk, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", 2001

[7] there are, of course, bottom!zhongli works. the name for this ship is "chili" (dont get me started on the top/bottom dynamic wars within the same pairing, we'll be here all day and i will scream until i pass out). it's more difficult to use ao3 numbers to prove my point here, as i find the tagging of top/bottom dynamics on ao3 to be inconsistent. instead, i will use statistics on zerochan.net. at the time of writing, zerochan has 1,765 images tagged with "zhongchi" and 228 images tagged with "chili". (so, ~90% of the childe/zhongli ship on zerochan is marked as zhongchi, i.e. top!zhongli and bottom!childe.) should i be using only a single data point to definitively say that zhongchi is exponentially more popular than chili? no, i should not; that's what we call bad science. but it illustrates the skew in the dynamics and the clear fandom preference, and this is a rant post not a scientific study.

[8] to some degree, inaccurate fanonizations involving popular characters in a large fandom is inevitable. i understand this. i do not accept this.

[9] erasermic (aizawa shouta/yamada hizashi) is a popular fandom auto-married ship from boku no hero academia. im not a fan of erasermic either but at least it's existence hasn't left a permanent stain on the characterizations of either character.

[10] ok so maybe zhongli could do the domesticity thing given that he's working that mundane human angle, though it would take some effort and learning and guidance. but childe? a house husband? lol. lmao.

[11] to be specific, he's half-dragon half-qilin but everyone seems to forget the qilin part. this isn't unreasonable, given that my experience is with the english speaking part of the genshin fandom, and qilin isnt really a thing that shows up in english media. one time i was watching a cdrama with a friend and the subtitles said "he has a dragon tattoo!" and she started YELLING and we had to pause the show because it wasnt a gd dragon it was a QILIN and they are VERY DIFFERENT THINGs, and then i got a whole rant about how even a unicorn would be a closer translation than dragon and i had to look up qilin's on wiki to follow along with the rant. and thats how i know what a qilin is.

[12] i have a visceral cringe reaction to dragons now, thanks zhongchi. from my favorite beanie baby being scorch to this, how far i have fallen

[13] im sure the same is true for this fanon version of zhongli but i havent bothered to verify.

[14] @ chilumi shippers: ur cool, i like u, i also like ur art it's cute <3 but your fanfiction is not for me u_u

#writing #fandom analysis #as written by a childe main #genshin impact #mentions of sex #rant #childe #tartaglia #zhongli #not zhongchi friendly but not zhongli unfriendly #zhongli is fine #chilumi shippers i see u and you're doing great keep it up i just dont read m/f #woke up today and chose violence #i really did think about letting this stay in discord dms forever but i worked too hard on this argument to let it die in obscurity #might delete later we'll see if the fandom gets vicious #hopefully they will not! but i am kind of inviting bad karma by posting this #i think the flanderization of fictional characters within fandom using traits they NEVER POSSESSED is a really fascinating thing #from a sociological perspective #from a fandom perspective pls stop ur hurting me #fandom telephone

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dxstopiaa · 1 year

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Could I request dom albedo , alhaitham or dottore with submissive nervous and sensitive puppy hybrid gn reader ^-^ honestly just a cute little pathetic mutt <3

characters: dom! character x gn! hybrid! reader warnings: degradation, mentions of heat, aphrodisiac, bondage. [this is very VERY far from my usual writing style and preferences but…first time for everything? i hope it’s to your expectations anon! i tried.. \(^ヮ^)/]

albedo

⊹ Albedo most definitely vows to investigate every inch of you— who’s so sexually aroused all the time, as if you were held in the locked grasp of a permanent rut.

⊹ His expression is cold as ever, pulling your limbs into all sorts of exposing positions and yet he still remains with that distant look. That is, until he sees it fit to inject you with all sorts of alchemical substances.

⊹ Within minutes you’re already whimpering, making a mess of your bare groin, nipples perky and hypersensitive to even the briefest of touches. Don’t fret too much— a responsible alchemist always has a antidote at hand. Not that he’ll end up using it.

⊹ Cry and whine as much as you’d like, for Albedo continues to stroke your erogenous areas, he’s most fond of your ears, droopy and downcast from the momentary neglect.

⊹ He’ll finally sink you down onto his cock when he becomes too hard to hear himself, muttering how desperate and immature you truly were. You can’t do anything but slouch your pathetic, little self against his shoulder as he fucks you for the chase of his own release.

⊹ Abandon the idea of finishing alongside him, before you know it your boyfriend will pull out and retrieve his clipboard for his observations without giving you a chance to cum. Consider it punishment for your slutty behaviour. It’s harsh or nothing at all, believe me, he’s doing you a favour.

“You’re so warm, is it the aphrodisiac or just the effect i have on you? Never mind, I wouldn’t want to worry your diminutive brain.”

alhaitham

⊹ He’s all you’ve been thinking of since that dream. A cynical scholar who wouldn’t give a care to anyone else, you’re an exception it seems. You’re always so clingy, latching onto his bicep with your tail swinging excitedly when he doesn’t retaliate.

⊹ Alhaitham— the man who’s making you sit in his lap, shoving an erotic novel he caught you reading earlier into your hands. Someone needs to tell you how to control your sex drive, he thinks. His large, calloused hands stroke gentle ministrations along your crotch, watching you lose your words.

⊹ An anxious, stuttering mess you were. The whole situation sprouted the idea of grinding against his thighs, so much so that concentration had been discarded long ago. You’re trying your hardest.

⊹ He’s shaming you at this point, sarcasm and mockery dripping with every word that fell out of his filthy mouth. Well-versed in vocabulary, even more so with sex. You can’t even say a complete sentence. How piteous.

⊹ Now it seems you’ve pushed him along further, he’s reenacting what you’ve read so far, a meagre amount. If you can’t say it, you can’t have it. You emit broken sobs as he taunts his dick at your hole, yet makes no move. You attempt to push him in with your hips yet that only earns a tug to your nipples.

⊹ Your ears perk up with every half thrust he finally initiates, the scandalous sound of your thighs hitting his lap desperately. Alhaitham thinks it’s adorable, you’re so out of touch with your own emotions he has to fuck them back into your body.

⊹ You find yourself covering your face with embarrassment at the shameful names he calls you, tugging on your tail when you don’t respond to him on whether you like them or not. Poor thing, you’re just forced to say yes!

“You want what? Sorry, i can’t hear you with all this whimpering, read louder, little puppy.”

dottore

⊹ A mere test subject you were, but Dottore finds himself playing favourites. You’re just so cute, the first to please and do as he asks. It’s almost like you’re begging him to fuck you on display. Of course, he’ll do just that.

⊹ The Doctor adores making a fool out of a doll like you, purposely making you suck his thick cock infront of the other subjects, rubbing your ears and relishing in the downright sinful moans it coaxes out of you, vibrating all along his dick.

⊹ He will strip you naked, crimson eyes scrutinising your perfect figure for anything to tease you about. If he finds none, Dottore’s bound to leave bruised lovebites on your inner neck.

⊹ If you dare to flinch the slightest at his degrading remarks, the harbinger will command you to sit on his lap as he lightly pulls your tail and spanks your plush ass, a desirable role model of obedience for the other prisoners, but now he thinks he’ll keep you for himself.

⊹ You’re his private slut at this point, you reside in his office curled up on his bed. Whenever you feel like your heat is approaching, Dottore will already have your legs spread wide on the sheets.

⊹ Thicker wires of rope and metal rubbed over your skin, keeping you hostage in the doctor’s merciless grasp. You’d never know what he’d like to try on you next.

“Are you that desperate? Do all bitches like you not know how to control themselves? Hah!”

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blood-orange-juice · 8 months

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an absolutely normal reaction to ffxiv lore

#we were talking about how one should perhaps borrow estinien's approach of talking to dragons when talking to zhongli #maybe he'll stop dodging important questions then #ff xiv #tbf every story needs an estinien #he greatly improves any situation he's in #estinien #estinien varlineau #zhongli #what a fine mess we've made #ray's words of wisdom

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m1d-45 · 1 year

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i gobbled and devoured the post imposter things. scrumptious!! but what if poor little xiao man feels guilty for hunting or scarring us in the hunt? and please don’t feel obligated to answer, i know you’re busy

burden to bear

word count: 2.7k

-> warnings: spoilers for liyue archon quest, canon typical violence…. minor body horror? blood mention.

-> gn reader (you/yours)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yum1x || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay

< masterlist >

during the hunt itself, xiao is driven by a need to prove himself, pushing past his instinct and the way his karma flares around the one on the throne. he sees it as a way to redeem himself, to finally scrape some of the sin off his hands. it’s a way to prove himself, and one he takes eagerly.

it’s not correct to say he’s blinded by faith, but it’s not exactly wrong either. he definitely feels, subconsciously, that something’s… off, maybe, about his god. perhaps it’s the way his vision always seems to flutter and flare, or the ice in his veins when the command to hunt is given. he feels uneasy, unsettled, finding himself rolling his shoulders and wondering if he needed to add more stretches into his routines. and yet, despite the tension in his shoulders and the twist in his stomach, he kneels, bowing his head with a swear of fealty that goes unanswered.

unacknowledged.

perhaps he had delivered it wrong?

he doesn’t think much of it, quickly dissolving from the throne room and appearing besides the statue of the seven on the west edge of liyue. looking out over jueyun karst, he knows it’s a bit fruitless to start his search there due to the vicinity to the other adepti, but the spires there are tall, filled with wiry bushes and crags of rock that are easier to hide in than may seem at first glance.

he draws his pole arm, spinning it once over his hand before tapping the end to the stone beneath him. he’s not sure why he’s so nervous—is it the fact that this is technically the first order he’s been given? is it the idea of slaughtering somebody so identical to his creator that it nearly fooled morax, who’s been alive longer than he could fathom?

or is it simply the prospect of failure?

xiao grits his teeth and steps off the edge of the floating stone, halting his fall with anemo at nearly the last possible moment.

his feelings meant nothing. orders were given, and he had to follow them.

why else was he there, if he couldn’t?

it takes him longer than he expected to find you. he’s almost impressed, really, that you managed to evade his searching eyes, that you dodged not only him but the other adepti as well, all without taking refuge in any villages or otherwise civilized areas due to the orders the millelith put out. you hid well, he could attest to that, and though he was the one to find you, it was only on accident.

he was clearing out a group of hilichurls north of the inn. he was surprised so many had settled so close to the statue of the seven, as hilichurls usually avoided concentrated elemental energy, but didn’t think too hard about it. he simply unhooked his mask from his belt, noticing the difference in strength between these hilichurls and the average, and teleported into the middle of the camp.

the first thing he heard was a spotter’s cry. the second was the mitachurls’—archons, there were three—roar as they hefted their weapons. the final one was the intricate chanting of the abyss, but not any incantation he recognized.

he kept himself half in smoke as he danced around the edge of the camp, taking out the archers while he tried to find the abyss mage. he could catch glimpses of hydro bubbles through the walls of the hut, but the steps were covered in frost-

he barely ducked under the swing of a mitachurl’s axe, slashing his spear along its side as he slipped away, darting across the path of one charging with a large stone shield. it clipped his shoulder despite his efforts, pain spiking down his arm, but he didn’t pay attention to the injurh. normally he wouldn’t be this distracted, but two abyss mages and three mitachurls in one camp could only spell bad news. the best he could likely do was to leave and grab back-up, but who? the millelith were busy, morax and the adepti were on their own search…

xiao quickly climbed onto the roof of the hut, jamming his spear between two of the logs to keep grip on the woven roofing. the grass was damp, squishing uber this feet, likely from whatever hydro magic the mage was busy with within it. it likely wasn’t the smartest idea to stand on the roof, but this area of liyue was mostly plains, with little cover from the charging mitachurls. he needed a moment, if only a short one, to hash out a plan to deal with the camp.

the three mitachurls were standing besides the hut, two with shields and one with a crackling axe, electro dancing along the blade. xiao shifted, pivoting around the peak of the hut to move away from that one, the grass roof squishing below his feet.

the mitachurl’s ear twitched.

he shoved himself off the roof just as the mitachurl slammed the flat of its blade onto the roof, the whole shack shaking. electricity swarmed across the waterlogged roofing, reaching the opposite edge just as xiao dropped off it, landing between the other two mitachurls. they didn’t charge, nor attack, their motivations only made clear when the hiss of cryo froze out the lingering moisture in the air in front of him, effectively boxing him in.

the abyss mage swayed in its circle, staff glowing a sharp blue from within its bubble of frost.

“leave, adeptus,” it hissed, waving its staff in a circle. “you have no place here.”

xiao didn’t reply, instead picking apart his options. he couldn’t do significant damage to the shield mitachurls without utilizing his burst to destroy their shields, but that didn’t cover the mage at all… and he was still wet from the roof, so the mage would be able to freeze him within the time he had drawn in enough anemo energy to wield his mask with any level of efficiency…

he flexed his hand around his polearm. how had he gotten into this situation? his only options were to get lucky or teleport away, but even the latter of those relied on the first.

luck. how useless was he, to rely on luck-?

“‘adeptus’?”

the abyss mage startled at the voice, the cryo it had been swirling dissipating. both he and it turned to the side, to the entrance to the hut, where a figure could be seen just beyond the mitachurl.

his first instinct was that it was his god, and he briefly relaxed under the knowledge that he’d get out of this in mostly one piece.

his second was to recognize the torn clothing and dirt-smeared skin, and realize that you could never be his god.

xiao’s eyes narrowed, his spear twisting towards you faster than the distracted mage could react. you, his target, the one he had been seeking out, were hiding behind the abyss. he should have expected it, in truth, figured out the one known for going against the rules of nature would side with the most unnatural force, but that was not for now.

not now, when he was launched forward by the power of anemo, his spear driving him forward, barely skimming the mitachurl in favor of his true target: you.

your eyes barely had the chance to dart in his direction.

xiao was, in truth, not the first one to see you.

many villagers had glimpsed you running around the outskirts of their villages, plucking apples and sunsettias off trees and taking mint from their gardens and leaving bundles of sweet flowers behind instead. they’d seen you, face half-covered in a poor mask made of scraps, your clothes that of the haphazard stitches of the hilichurls, which helped you blend into teyvat a bit more at the price of comfort. many had seen you and assumed you were a run of the mill thief, perhaps one taking advantage of the current hunt since the millelith were occupied. they wryly called you clever, warning the traveling merchants about you, the one they glimpsed at inane hours of night.

he wasn’t the first to see you, by far. he was, however, the first to recognize you.

he was the first to lay eyes upon your form and realize the truth, to realize that the blood seeping into your clothes was the color of stars and galaxies, to recognize that your heart beat blue.

the argument could be made that the hilichurls were the first, or perhaps the mages that had taken you in and brought you food, but it was not them that gathered you into their arms and whisked you away in a flash of teal, uncaring of the spike of cryo that drove into their side at the last minute. the hilichurls did not walk with frosted-over limbs, the abyss did not cry with a throat full of ice, calling for assistance in undoing their own crime.

xiao couldn’t decide whether it was lucky or not that baizhu was in the pharmacy, speaking with herbalist gui over the front desk. on one hand, it was best to have the most experienced healer in liyue at your side, but on the other..

“adeptus xiao, what is-…..”

confusion, then anger, then realization, all flashing over his face in an instant before he tilted his head and walked quickly to a back room, xiao following.

he busied himself with picking the ice off his body and clothes, ignoring the shake of his hands and the stench of blood in the room. the mage had pulled you from the point of his spear, but he still hit the side of your stomach, and he could tell it was messy.

knocks sounded at the door but baizhu turned them away sharply, only allowing qiqi to pass him a bowl of lotus seeds. he was focused, changsheng slithering off his shoulders to grab supplies as needed. time seemed to slow to a crawl, like xiao had entered a domain without an exit, filled with the iron smell of blood and the never ending chips of ice he peeled from his skin. it left behind stinging wounds and red marks, but he couldn’t find it in him to care.

what was his brief moment of injury compared to a scar upon his god?

the moment that baizhu had stopped, all but collapsing into a chair and wiping off his hands with a tired call of ‘it’s done. the foundation will be okay.’ xiao had stood and left, biting his tongue through the protests of both his own body and the doctor.

he’d given changsheng his confession, but he did not wish to stick around and hear his verdict.

weeks later, morax came and visited him at the inn, carrying with him a plate of almond tofu and an apology. xiao leaned against the furthest edge of the balcony, curled around the plate, staying as far as he could from the one with your aura imprinted upon him.

he felt it, when zhongli had first come up the stairs. the shock, then the warmth, the all-encompassing comfort that soothed the pain from the bruising on his shoulder. he felt it, and knew that he did not deserve it.

“it’s not your fault,” zhongli insisted, baritone words colored with unreturned sympathy. “the fake… had fooled us all. even me. i cannot hold your actions against you when i myself would have done the same.”

and maybe that was true. maybe he would have drawn his own weapon, pierced your skin himself, acting on the orders of one who dared to take the place of the divine, but that was irrelevant.

xiao was the one who had hurt you. and it was entirely his fault.

almond tofu, his favorite dish, tasted bitter and sour on his tongue, almost akin to the pain medication that zhongli had made him drink after noticing how cautious he was with his injured arm. he’d made him take the first dose in front of him and swear to take the rest, with a long monologue about taking care of himself tacked on afterwards, but it was for nothing. aside from the first night he had it, xiao hadn’t touched the bottle. it sat on his nightstand, beside a bed he hardly used, taunting him when he returned earlier than usual.

he could take it. there was nothing stopping him from doing so, and he probably should if he wanted to return to his duties quicker. but every time he picked up the glass, thumb tracing over the engravings as he undid the top, he hesitated.

he could take it. he probably should. but did he deserve to?

you were still recovering, possibly still bedridden weeks later. your blood still stained his spear, dripping down to his palms, pale and scarred skin marked further with the blue and purple swirls of his sin. you were still in pain, still healing from a spear to your side, and he was here, reaching for medicine for a sore shoulder?

(it was worse than that. bone had knocked against bone, bruising beneath where muscle could reach. it ached even when he sat as still as possible, dragging him out of every attempt to meditate. the dark purple splotches stretched beyond his clothing, reaching across his back and up his neck, making nearly any action flare the wound. it was far beyond an over-exerted muscle or a particularly tiring day, and yet even the worst nights of his pain were staved off by the memory of having to wash blue off his blade. even as the latch on the bottle was undone, the lip pressed to his, he could never bring himself to drink it)

(even the small droplet of it on the rim, tasting of qingxin extract and violet grass, threatened to make him sick. how dare he?)

yes, it would likely only get him into more trouble were he found out, but he was careful not to be. whenever the wind brought him the heavy presence of geo, zhongli’s familiar footsteps climbing the stairs, he snatched the bottle and emptied it into the stone carving on the balcony, letting the medicine soak into the soil beneath it. it splashed when he was sloppy, the deep purple medicine appearing blue on the stone, sparking a memory that weighed harder on the pit in his stomach.

even as he handed the bottle over to zhongli, his jaw clenched from the strain on his shoulder. the action was stiff, jerky, but evidently smooth enough that it had passed his assessment.

zhongli tucked the bottle away, surprisingly not drawing out a new one.

“i am proud of you, and of the progress you have made,” he said, golden eyes softening in the light of dusk. “well done, xiao.”

how strange, he thought, watching him leave, that the very action that made his vision swim with unshed tears was one that was praised.

he wouldn’t complain, of course. he never would. this pain was his to bear, just as the burden of your bloodshed was his to shoulder. he was well aware his pain could never take back yours—though he wished, desperately, that he could move your injury to him. he wanted to be able to take on the physical reminder of his defect, to take the hit of his own spear to spare you from his lapse in judgement. he would take it, take ten times the pain you endured, if only it meant that your skin was free of his scars.

it would be an honor to assist the divine, even at the price of his own life.

#genshin #genshin impact #sagau #self aware genshin #genshin sagau #sagau impostor au #genshin self aware au #sagau xiao #xiao #xiao x reader #xiao x you #genshin x reader #sagau x reader #*lying through my teeth* what do you mean of course i don’t have favorites #hey writer tip here: just write. i know you think it’s gonna be bad. i know it’ll likely seem strange and off-key. guess what? write.#just do it. best advice ever. who cares if it’s shit? you can rewrite it later! once you get through the bad and into the groove it’s fine!!#you’ve gotta expel your Bad Words to get to the good stuff. take it from me i always rewrite my beginnings whenever i post #the first paragraphs are gonna suck! and that’s okay! just keep goin baby!! you’ll get it eventually!!#oh btw just so it’s clear: zhongli’s proud of him for taking the meds not for his um. violent acts.#it’s meant to be a ‘thank you for trusting me and accepting help’ but the twist is: he ISNT #i love xiao. with all my heart. i absolutely adore him. he is my beloved little blorbo.#but good lord do i like to see him cry sometimes.

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windworn-stars · 2 months

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decided to just post the finished sketch now just in case this takes too long and also added ventis backstory in this AU (since i might hopefully make this a series of sorts?) anyway, i sure hope the backstory isnt too dark aha!! (i can post the backstory on its own if its too hard to read)

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crystalflygeo · 1 year

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Marks of a warrior ft. Zhongli + gn!reader

cw/tags: hurt/comfort, self-harm mention (reader), scars, pretty suggestive but not full blown smut for once PLEASE these are delicate topics DO NOT READ IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.

notes: Listen, as usual this is very self-indulgent, but also very personal, not everyone may feel like this of course and I hope not to make anyone feel insulted or uncomfortable, I try not to "romanticize" just... some comfort for the depression hours ok?

The satin sheets pool around your waist as you sigh, soft and nervous.

This was… the first time you got this far, and it made your heart skip a beat.

It was very intimate… and intimidating.

And despite that, there was a certain rush of excitement as Zhongli pulled off your clothes. You helped shake them off, a bit clumsily, and blushed as he stares at you.

And now here you are. Clad in just your underwear, shy and sitting on his lap, faces mere inches apart.

Those golden eyes travel over your skin, committing every curve, every mole, every strand of hair, to memory. Zhongli does not only look, he evaluates, he appraises that which he likes or finds fascinating. Studying it and, if enticed enough, the ex-archon’s gaze would turn covetous. Like a dragon wanting to claim and possess a new treasure.

Like how he stares at your right now.

There’s a certain hunger in his eyes and you almost shiver at the intensity of it, averting your eyes and subconsciously bringing up an arm to cover yourself. “D-Don’t just stare, I’m-”

“Beautiful.” He cuts off in a husky low voice that has you shivering for real now. He leans in to plant a kiss at your shoulder, your hands shoot up to his bare chest, curling there and feeling the smooth muscles.

Zhongli trails kisses up your neck, to you jaw, your cheek, your nose and you squeak when you feel his hands explore your body. Large and warm, trey trace your ribcage and brush at your nipples, you sigh.

“All this… just for me.”

You still cannot comprehend how can he look at you like that, with so much love, so much longing. How are you so lucky to have caught the eye and heart of someone so kind, so perfect. A deity, no less.

“Zhongli…”

His hands dip lower, circling your waist and there he finds something. You tense.

His thumb brushes along the scars on your hip and you flinch not-so-subtly.

This is the first time he's seen them.

The first time anyone has seen them.

Dark ugly slashes that you wish you could forget, you could undo.

"Please don't." You mumble urgently, nervous. "I..." Your lips purse together and you frown, conflicted. "I-I'm uncomfortable."

"Alright." Zhongli replies simply, his hands slide up your sides and he leans in to kiss a spot in your chest instead. A bashful smile returns to your face.

His lips meet yours in a slow but heated kiss, you can’t help but want more, be a little demanding. You arms drape around his shoulders and you pull yourself closer. The skin-on-skin contact is electrifying and you moan low.

Breathing each other’s air, pressed so close, so intimately entwined. You lose yourselves in lips and tongue and teeth, in soft hums and small noises and silent smiles.

It's nice, you think, to be so... wanted.

“You act as if you were ashamed. Warriors would often pride themselves on scars.” He says suddenly. “They are a symbol of victory. Another day to live after having faced danger and endured hardship.”

You huff a little, averting your gaze. “I’m h-hardly a warrior… those scars…” You gulp. Surely, he understood…? “They’re not from battle I… I did them myself.” You feel cold creep up your body. Dread. You feel painfully aware of them now, and the pain they bring… the memories.

He hums against your skin, nuzzling there softly. “Ah but that is where you’re wrong, my dear. Those are proof you have faced one of life’s strongest and most difficult enemies, your own dark thoughts. That which cannot be seen, cannot be easily fought, cannot be understood but for the one facing them alone.”

Your breath hitches a little.

“I, for one, I’m glad you’re here today. With me. Glad that you won that battle.” He punctuates every comment with a fleeting kiss, tickling your collarbone. One of his hands rubs at your shoulder, the other is warm on your thigh.

You blink rapidly and press your forehead into his chest, hiding the tears that wet your eyelashes.

How can he be so…

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

You stay silent in his embrace a little longer, as he rubs circles on your back.

“T-Thank you… Zhongli. One day I’ll tell you about it, but… now…”

He shushes you and leans back to lie down on the bed, bringing you along and still staring at you with that same reverence. Your pelvis brush together and you gasp. The warmth is back and growing to a full flame.

And this god, this perfect being splayed here below you…

“It’s fine if you don’t. Don’t feel forced to… you deserve to feel comfortable in your own body, and your scars do not take from who you are, nor they define you.” He cups your cheek, eyes half-lidded. “Don’t think about it now…”

You lean down with a smile and kiss him again.

#genshin x reader #zhongli x reader #zhongli x you #genshin x you #genshin imagines #genshin impact imagines #crys writes #gn reader #I'm fine I'm ok I promise #just needed this wanted to let this out #I love soft Zhongli he's so <3 #there was gonna be more to this but I'll make it a separate thing it doesn't fit here really #nsfw-ish?

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izvmimi · 3 months

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how are disputes managed in your harem? who has the power to stop the fights and who instigates them? who's getting punished and who behaves?

#i asked this to annaka but i'm asking all of you now #the person who disciplines in my harem is izuku ofc #tsukasa is also developing power and it actually annoys the shit out of izuku but he pretends he's fine #after all he agrees with tsukasa's decisions anyway #baji and shinra are the ones always getting in trouble #shinra is more reasonable than baji tho #yuuji is just chilling always #he bothers no one #i forget about zhongli often

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megwillart · 1 year

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A WIP for a pair of drawings I'm working on with Zhongli and Venti doing a little 🪄 on Xiao...

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astrophelstella · 1 year

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The Phoenix Soars Over Liyue

Genshin Liyue Character x Strong!God!Reader

Characters: Xiao, Zhongli, Baizhu

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Some angst

Another idea that had been floating around in my head. I wanted to do another one for the Liyue characters. SFW. Reader is the dominant one and in a position with a lot of power and experience. Not something commonly seen in a lot of reader fics. First time writing for these characters, sorry if it seems OOC. I did my best. Warning: I'm a Zhongli simp

Monstadt ver.

You as the reader are known as an Adeptus in Liyue. One of it's most well known. The Phoenix. Though, it's much more complicated than that. You were originally from Natlan. The nation of Pyro. When the Archon War began and gods started battling over territory and power, you decided to leave. You were a phoenix, the last of its kind. A creature that continues to reincarnate after their flames dies out only to return brighter than ever. This made you a dangerous competitor in everyone's eyes. But you were also a creature of healing, peace and harmony. Perhaps this was why you were the last of your kind, the ongoing violence prompting your kin to leave this plane of existence. But that was the past. You fled your home, not really having people to worship you (though tales speak of the Murata people's red hair being a connection to you). Then the scorched lands of Natlan turned lush and green as you fly, with tall mountain peaks perfect for a bird of legend like you. This was Liyue.

Of course, before you could build your nest and settle down in this new land you had its inhabitants to deal with. Most of the Illuminated beasts were wary of you but left you alone otherwise. It was fine until this bratty god came along. At least, he was a brat in your eyes. A war god. You thought you had seen the last of those. Despite your attempts at diplomacy, his head was stubborn as stone. A fight ensued and while he thought he had defeated you, he was shocked to see you reform again. This time even stronger. The fight was only stopped by another god, this one much more pleasant and agreeable, who lectured the one that attacked you. She turned to you and had a proper introduction. In the end, if you wanted to stay in Liyue you had to make a contract. Promising to come to its aid and protect the land from dangers. You wanted to escape fighting but at least this was fighting to protect something. From then you made a great friend in the kind god, 'Guizhong' was her name. Not so much with 'Morax' but you had all the time in the world to build some trust.

Fast forward thousands of years later and you were now wandering through Liyue Harbor, on its rooftops. You were a common sight in Liyue. The Phoenix was the friendliest to humans, not necessarily running things but being a warm presence with lots of wisdom to share. You made a point not to interfere, knowing it was best mortals learned on their own. People still admired the sight of you. Taller than most mortals, glowing eyes like fire, the beautiful gold and red markings on your skin and the vibrant exotic clothes you wear. While you found a home in Liyue, you still retained some of Natlan's clothing style. You were as mesmerizing as you were dangerous. Moving atop rooftops elegantly, barefoot. The light jingle of your jewelry the only sound you made.

When you were not in Liyue, you simply napped in the wilds. Your peers saw you as lazy. All this power condensed into a slothful being. You shrugged it off, they aren't the ones who have to reincarnate every so often. Plus, you were practically retired. All that fighting, you just wanted to spend your time being idle. So you let a lot of things go, like decorum. If only people were more lax like you, and not sticking their nose up at other people. It was a much more fulfilling existence. Still, no beings were willing to cross you.

Despite everything you lived a rather solitary life. With a few exceptions...

Xiao

"Y/N are you still napping? Hn, you can't just..."

He had a lot of respect for you. Being older and stronger than him, he spent a good chunk of his immortal existence watching you fight. People called you lazy but he remembered back in the day were you left battlefields covered in blood, all your enemies defeated on the ground.

You would not only help the Yakshas in training and combat, but took care of injuries. Your flames didn't just burn things, they could heal too. Whatever wounds he had were gone as he felt your fire graze his skin. He would shiver, feeling warmth instead of scorching hot. You were truly a being of life.

A favorite hobby of your was to nap anywhere in the wild. Even the strangest of places. It made you hard to find. Not for Xiao. Whenever he wasn't protecting Liyue, he would go out and find you. You've woken up many times to Xiao standing over you.

It was cute, how he followed you around. It was like a feral cat bonding with someone after being fed and trailing after them. You convinced him to rest and value the more mundane things in life.

With memories of being consumed by darkness, he appreciated your bright flames. A source of warmth and light. He was drawn in like a moth, uncaring if it could burn him in the end.

Verr Goldet was familiar with you. There was a room in Wangshu Inn that was basically the attic and yours since it had the fluffiest bed paired with the best view. It was also easy for Xiao to enter through the window and hang around atop the rafters.

There were many nights were he would come back from patrol, still buzzing from combat. As soon as he was in your room, his muscles would relax and he'd feel a little bit at peace. You would tend to his wounds, large hands brushing against his skin along with your beautiful flames washing away the worst of the karmic debt.

With him being so short, he barely reached your waist. The size gap was enormous. He'd turn red you backed him to a wall because his face was right next to-

He'd fluster whenever you beckoned him to sleep next to you. But you didn't know anyone else who would nap with you. You were the best cuddle buddy, being a source of warmth and a large frame that could make anyone feel safe being encased in.

You would sometimes be in your Phoenix form and Xiao in his Adeptus form as you cuddle in your nest. Your next consisting of the fluffiest of blankets, pillows and mattresses along with a few shiny trinkets you would pick up and bring home (you were a bird after all).

Your large wing would be covering him as he had the most peaceful sleep in a long time.

"The nightmares-" he began.

"Won't come near. Not when I'm around Xiao. Sleep." He slept close to you, curled in a fetal position. For the first time in many years, not a single nightmare troubled his sleep.

Zhongli

"I've been waiting for you. Liyue Harbor seems more tranquil this morning. Oh, here, your tea. Just how you like it."

Now there's a lot of history here. He was the first person you actually met since arriving to Liyue. That encounter seemed like lifetime ago. Many things had changed. Including your relationship.

While you didn't get along at first, Guizhong was your common friend. When she was gone, you mourned with him. From then, there was a quiet understanding that you would watch out for each other and honor her memory. It helped he grew out of his more stubborn thinking (for the most part).

He sought out your companionship. Centuries fighting by his side built a trust stronger than the earth itself. Internally, worried he'd lose another. He didn't want it to be you. Not after everything. Tales grew in Liyue about the Dragon and the Phoenix. Eternal companions.

During quiet times he grew melancholic because he couldn't remember her face, you drew him to your side and described her the best you could. When you fell into periods of weakness just before reincarnating, he refused to leave your side. He hated seeing you like that, snuffed out of your flame but he consoled himself knowing you always bounced back.

Other times he'd seek you out when he had troubles leading a mortal life. Despite being a bit older than him, you actually kept up with the times. Like when Childe fed him his special dish, a weird seafood bowl that had tentacles sticking out of it. Zhongli getting terrible flashbacks took one bite, then up and ran to you.

You rubbed his back as he washed out his mouth with water. You made sure to serve him some traditional food later and wash his clothes so it didn't retain the scent of seafood.

Still being new to having a mortal body, he forgot certain necessities. Like eating. He never needed to do it consistently before until his stomach made an unusual noise. He placed a hand on it, confused. Adorable, you thought and reminded him he needed food.

Sometimes he'd skip meals, having work to do at the funeral parlor. You disliked such a habit and would shove food to his face, chopsticks close to his mouth. It confused him why you feeding him made him feel strange but not unwelcome. He would always keep a special pair of chopsticks with him, the one with the dragon and phoenix on it. Funny what mortals come up with. (Liyue citizens be shipping hardcore)

Oh? He bought his own home in Liyue to better assimilate his mortal life? Is there a bed? You're already asleep on it. Zhongli took one step in and saw your large form snoring in his room. He hadn't even told you where he moved in.

Honestly he wasn't surprised, you lazy bird. (Some part of him already knew. It was why he subconsciously picked the largest bed, even if it put a dent on his funds.) You were staying at his home more and more until the neighbors actually thought you were both married.

He tried to explain it to them but his face grew warmer as the neighbors gushed how devoted you seem coming home everyday before dinner with groceries. You two were the couple. To his surprise you laughed (in your human disguise) and didn't correct them, only wrapping a hand around his waist to pull him closer.

This misunderstanding seems to have extended to the rest of Liyue Harbor. He doesn't know how until his boss explained it like it was obvious. What were the locals supposed to think when they see you with a hand on the mysterious funeral consultant's shoulder or lower back, taking long walks around Liyue. He would be his usual self and trying to buy things he didn't have the money for but you pay for it anyways without thinking.

Eventually, it happened so much that merchants and shop owners would turn to you automatically after Zhongli made a purchase so you could hand out the money. In restaurants they knew to give you the check. Some people were jealous how much you pampered him. (A lot of breakups and divorces happened as people's standards rose.)

HuTao made fun of him for having a sugar daddy/mommy but told him not to mess up the relationship because it meant less funds missing from the funeral parlor.

The next time you two went on a walk he was now now more hyper aware of the large, warm hand pressed on his lower back. It felt natural when you first did it but now he wondered what this could mean. Or maybe it was a long time coming.

"Y/N care to make a contract with me?" He asked, there was something different about his expression. He seemed unsure. You were both watching the sunset over Liyue Harbor. In the distance you could hear a storyteller weave a tale about the arrival of the Phoenix to Liyue.

"Oh, what would that entail?"

"After I give up my gnosis, after I retire as an Archon... stay by my side, forever, until the end."

A pause. "We don't need a contract for that." You pulled him closer until he could feel your breath. After all, the Phoenix knew they would spend every reincarnation with their precious dragon.

In the distance, you hear the storyteller finish the story with "... the Phoenix soars over Liyue Harbor and sees a cor lapis born from the earth. It was so radiant and enchanting the sun that was its heart grew captivated. They vowed to stay in Liyue for as long as the cor lapis was theirs."

Baizhu

Its a wonder how the two of you could have met. A mortal healer and an immortal phoenix. The answer was: Qiqi

You were being your lazy self and napping in the wilds when a zombie child approached you. She was looking for herbs but got distracted when she saw you, in your vibrant clothes and shiny jewelry just laying across a bed of flowers. You recognized the the child, remembering the Yakshas' remorse. Still, you were in the middle of soaking up a sunbeam and tried to shoo her away.

This kept happening as the days went by. Until she ran into some treasure hoarders. You, admittedly, had started keeping an eye out for her even as you 'napped'. Before they could even lay a hand on her, your warning came in the form of a flaming tornado. In the end, the scum were sent running and you told the child to be more careful as you walked her back home, her tiny hand grasping your pants so she doesn't wander.

Reaching the pharmacy, the herbalist manning the desk greeted Qiqi with a smile until he paled at the sight of you. He immediately bowed. You waved it off, looking around curiously. You had never been in a place of healing. Mortal medicine was never concern being gifted with innate healing abilities. Then a voice called out, asking about the commotion.

You watched as one of the prettiest mortals you've ever seen walked in. Qiqi let go of your pants to stay near him. He seemed happy to see her until he saw you. Qiqi told him what happened earlier. His usual charisma returned to him and he thanked you for keeping his precious Qiqi safe. You didn't ask for anything in return but wanted to stick around and learn about the place and him. Mortal medicine had peaked your interest.

The following days Baizhu had you sometimes looking over his shoulder. You weren't obnoxious or interrupted his work but you were always there, learning about herbs and watching medicine being made. It's not like he could tell a powerful Adeptus to leave, especially when they weren't doing anything. Plus, you attracted customers.

But sometimes he wondered if your eyes were really on the medicine when he felt someone watching him intently. He'd look to you but you were already chatting with the herbalist. Changsheng would tease, seeing him hesitate around you. To prove her wrong he offered to show you in person how he healed people. That snake was already on your side, after you heaped compliments on them during your first meeting.

Now your closer. It was probably due to your biology but standing next to you felt like being next to a fireplace. He wasn't one to get flustered so easily, coyly asking if you understood what he demonstrated. You had been leaning forward to focus on it, his face a bit too close to your ear. Your eyes would glint a golden light meeting his and he'd shiver at the look. The serpent met its match.

Besides the thick tension between you two, there was a lot of wholesome moments with you babysitting Qiqi. For all your devil-may-care attitude, you took care of her and made sure nothing ever bothered her. HuTao ended up being tossed out like a cat by the scruff when she tried to bury her again. The zombie cowering behind you.

While you didn't interfere with his work, he did ask you to heal his patients sometimes when there wasn't any solution. When his illness got the better of him, you would use your flames on him too. It had a revitalizing effect. His days were much more pleasant now that you were around. Instead of payment, you asked to be around him more. Now you go on outdoor walks or picnics.

You understood what he was going through. As someone who always reincarnated, it meant experiencing times of severe exhaustion. It would be days feeling your body die on you. So with everything you had, you would help him with his.

"Oh? Qiqi hasn't taken up too much of your time Y/N?" he asked, watching the girl fiddle with one of golden chains on your person.

"No. She seems rather attached." you dangled one of your feather pieces and she tried to catch it. Sprawled across the ground, you looked impossibly eye-catching. Eventually, she noticed a butterfly and left to observe it.

He took a seat next to you. "Things have been much more manageable with your presence honorable Y/N. Be careful, or you might be stuck here. " he made it out to be lighthearted but in truth, he meant it. Watching you dote after Qiqi despite your 'uncaring' attitude was unfairly endearing.

Changsheng spoke up, "He's a greedy man. Leave while you still can or it'll be torture working for him." She slithered off his shoulders and on to your stomach, your warmth being too comfortable to resist. Traitor.

He drew a mock offended face. "Why I would never-"

"I don't mind." You looked him in the eyes and smirked. "It's a torture I'm coming to enjoy."

Not for the first time around you, he had no words. How dare you.

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School finally lightened up which means time to get this done. Not a lot of characters to choose from. Ningguang or Beidou didn't seem like submissive types and everyone else was too young. Does this one feel a little more fluffy? Anyways, I did my best to get the characters down.

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin reader #genshin reader insert #genshin characters x reader #genshin imagines #genshin dom reader #genshin x you #zhongli x y/n #zhongli x reader #xiao x reader #xiao x y/n #baizhu x reader #baizhu x y/n #really need me some more Baizhu content #fine. i'll do it myself

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